Device and process for extracting stoppers or closures sealing containers



Jul 14, 1970 Filed June 29, 1967 'ISL All

M. E. HENRlON DEVICE AND PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING STOPPERS OR CLOSURES SEALING CONTAINERS FIG. 2

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR MARC E.HENRION am- 9A ATTORNE YS July 14, 1970 M. E. HENRION 3,520,102

DEVICE AND PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING STOPPERS OR CLOSURE-S SEALING CONTAINERS INVENTOR MARC E- HENRION BYM ATTORNEYS.

July 14, 1970 M. E. HENRlON DEVICE AND PROCESS FOR EXTRACTING STOPPERS OR CLOSURES SEALING CONTAINERS Filed June 29, 1 967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR MARC E. HENRwN Bywmm w ATTORNEYS.

US. C]. 53-77 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for extracting stoppers from containers having a pair of spreadable X-members for penetrating and retaining the stopper, a movable member for receiving the container and for spreading the X-members, and an ejector assembly for removing the container from the X-members.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a device for the automatic extraction of stoppers, metal caps, plastic tops, or other closures for sealing containers as well as bottles, and the new process of manufacture.

The extraction of these various closures from bottles of mineral water or wine, proceeding for example from recovery from consumers, is an operation which, despite its simplicity, necessitates the permanent presence of swift and skilled labor. Given that modern industry requires a high yield from every operation, the removal of stoppers, caps, tops and sealing means of every kind (which for ease of description will be designated by stppers) must be completed in a very short time. The problem is intensified by the fact that it is not always possible to observe when certain of these stoppers adhere too strongly to the bottle, or when a large number of bottles appear simultaneously on the conveyor belt of recovered bottles.

There exist, indeed, numerous apparatus or devices facilitating the removal of stoppers, but their use cannot diminish the operation time sufficiently to avoid the stopping of the bottle conveyor belts when too high a number of stoppered bottles present themselves simultaneously.

Moreover, these apparatus are only suitable for the extraction of a very specific type of closure. Some can only be used for corks, others serve exclusively for the removal of metal caps, while still others for the removal of plastic tops. Thus, it is not possible to use such devices for bottles proceeding from recovery and including various closing means.

Finally, none of these apparatus allows detecting a bad presentation of the sealed containers or an obstacle to the extraction of a stopper.

The principal object of the present invention consists, therefore, in a new type of apparatus for extracting stoppers, caps, tops and other similar closures (designated below by stoppers) characterized in that it comprises: a reception component displaceable by the upper end of the container to be unstoppered; X-members articulated to penetrate into the stopper and to retain it; means for automatically returning the reception component to its initial position and to extract in this movement the stopper from the container; an extraction component and means for releasing and for actuating the said ejector component to eject the stopper retained by the X-members; and warning means to avoid the penetration of the X-members into the container in the case of anomalies such as bad presentation of the container.

United States Patent 0' 3,520,102 Patented July 14, 1970 Another object of the invention consists in means allowmg, under the effect of the displacement of the reception component during the relative movement of the container and of the apparatus, the drawing of the ejector component into a limiting position in which the said ejector component is held by locking means, thus making possible the triggering of the operation of ejecting the stopper by means of the ejector component at any desired moment after the removal of the container.

A further object of the invention consists in the combination of the ejector component and of an assembly controlling the release and the opening of the X-members when the ejector component is brought into its locking position and the recovery and closing of the X-members when the ejector component is brought into its locking position and the recovery and closing of the X-members during its release. Thus, perfect safety in functioning is obtained due to the coordination of the movements of the ejector and the X-members.

Still another object of the invention is to avoid the risks of defective functioning resulting from a bad presentation of a container by reason of a further characteristic according to which the X-mernbers are joined at the body of the apparatus by the intermediary of a spring assembly. Under the effect of a load greater than a given value the said assembly is displaced, actuating the control of any safety device. For example, the apparatus may be stopped and a signal emitted.

To recap, the principal advantages of the present invention are the replacement of the manual unstoppering operation by a wholly automatic operation; the extraction of stoppers of all types, for example metal caps or plastic tops; and certain functioning even in the case of defective presentation of the containers.

Further advantages and characteristics of the present invention will appear in the course of the following description, made with reference to the annexed drawing which represents, by way of non-limiting example, an embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 represents a vertical section of the device in its rest position,

FIG. 2 is a detail of the parts controlling the closing of the X-rnembers of the apparatus,

FIG. 3 is a detail of the parts controlling the opening of the X-members of the apparatus,

FIG. 4 is a vertical section of the device represented in FIG. 1 when the parts of the apparatus are in the course of operation at the moment of the far turn of the container in the entry tube,

FIG. 5 represents a vertical section of the locking device of the assembly controlling the ejection of the stoppers,

FIG. 6 is a detail of the end of the X-members in the open position,

FIG. 7 represents the vertical section of the apparatus showing the position of the parts after the withdrawal of the container and before ejection of the stopper,

FIG. 8 is a detail on a larger scale of the device for detecting containers which have been incorrectly presented,

FIG. 9 represents in section a modification of the apparatus in the rest position, and

FIG. 10 represents the position of the parts of the modification shown in FIG. 9 when the neck of a bottle (not shown on the drawing for greater clarity) is introduced into the apparatus.

In order to facilitate the understanding of the operation of the apparatus, there will be described first the apparatus in its totality, with reference to FIG. 1. This figure represents a vertical section of the apparatus at rest.

The apparatus is clamped to a table 1 by flange 2a on cylinder 2 and fixing-nut 3 which is screwed on threads 2b of part 2. A tube 4 adapted to receive the neck of the container is slidably mounted inside cylinder 2. The top of tube 4 is threadably attached to cylinder :15 which bears on flange 2c under the action of spring 5 set between grooves 4a and 2d of tubes 4 and 2.

The lower inside portion of tube 4 is, in the example chosen, slightly conical and presents at its juncture with the upper cylindrical part, a flange 4b serving to stop a sleeve 6. The latter is maintained in contact with stop 4b by the action of spring 14 bearing on the base of part and on edge 6a of sleeve 6.

Sleeve 6, more visible in FIG. 3, comprises a threaded extension 6b screwed onto the lower end of tube 7 as well as two rollers 12 carried by spindles 13. Tube 7 possesses in its right-hand central part a groove 7a. Its upper left-hand part includes a slot 7b giving passage to a stirrup-strap 19 fixed on a sleeve 16. To this sleeve is likewise fixed a rest 20 carrying a spindle 21. An arm 24 is mounted on spindle 21. It possesses at its end a spindle 22 on which is mounted a roller 23.

A spring 26 fixed at one of its ends to part 16 and at the other end to a lug 26a of arm 24 continually urges arm 24 towards the left as viewed in FIG. 5 so that roller 23 is normally held against tube 7. Inside tube 7 (FIG. 1) is a rod 17 which is threaded at its upper end to receive a pair of check-nuts 18. At its lower end, rod 17 carries a sleeve 17a, more visible in FIG. 2, which serves as a bearing point for the lower end of spring 8. The upper end of this spring bears on a stirrup-strap 19, over which is a ring 27 (FIG. 1) upon which nuts 18 bear. The lower part of rod 17 more visible in FIG. 2, includes a cut-out part 17b serving to house part 10. The latter slides inside tube 7. It is held between the upper arms 11a of X-members 11 and spring 9, the upper and lower ends of which bear respectively on sleeve 17a and on part 10. X-members 1 1 are articulated on spindle 17c at the lower end of rod 17.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: a mechanical device (not represented on the drawing and not part of the present invention) causes neck 28 of a bottle to penetrate into the lower part of tube 4.

At that time, the parts constituting the device are in the positions represented in FIGS. 1 and 2. When the shoulder of the bottle reaches the lower end of tube 4, the latter is pushed upwards. The ascent of tube 4, sliding within fixed tube 2, compresses spring 5 and actuates sleeve 6 through the flange 4b. In rising, sleeve 6 releases the end 11b of X-members 11. If one supposes that the bottle is closed by a plastic cap 29, for example, the cap 29 strikes against the cutting end 11b of the X-members. Since spindle 17 is held fixed under the action of the spring 8, the cap is pierced in its ascending movement as the neck comes over the X-members. At this stage, the tube 4 has sufliciently displaced sleeve 6 to bring the rollers 12 (FIG. 3) into contact with the external parts 11c of upper arms 11a of the X-members. When the ascending movement of the bottle 30 is complete, the parts are in the positions represented in FIG. 4. Under the eflYect of the ascent of the sleeve 6, tube 7 then occupies a position such that slit 7a is at the height of roller 23-. Because of the very shape of the slit and the action of the spring 26 (FIG. 5), roller 23 blocks tube 7 in this position. As rollers 12 ascend, they serve to push back edges 11c of upper arms 11a so that the lower arms 11b move apart as represented in FIG. 4. At the same time, the ends of upper arms 11b push part 10 upwardly, thus compressing spring 9.

During the next phase, the descending movement of the bottle is commenced, the shoulder of which always remains in contact with the lower edge of the tube 4 because of the pressure exercised by spring 5. This spring possesses a force sufiicient to extract cap 29. As the bottle descends, X-members 11 remain apart, causing the horizontal parts of the X-members to come into contact with the lower part of the cap, as shown in FIG. 6. One thus obtains an effective hooking-on, allowing, under the action of the spring 5, extraction of the cap during the descend ing movement of the bottle. At the end of travel, the parts are in the positions represented in FIG. 7 in which part 4 has resumed its initial position, while the tube 7 remains blocked in the high position, and the cap remains hooked on the open X-members.

The ejection of the cap is effected after the removal of the bottle 30 by the release of locking arm 24 under the effect of any mechanism comprising for example a lever 31 (FIG. 5) articulated at 32 on arm 24. Under the efliect of this mechanism, lever 31 is drawn towards the right so that roller 23 leaves the slit 7a, thus freeing tube 7 (FIG. 7). Spring 14 which is still compressed, violently drives sleeve 6 towards arms 11b. In the course of this sharp descent, rollers 13 free edge 11c of the arms 11a, while part 10 descends under the elfect of the expansion of spring 9 to open the arms llla again under the action members, as represented in FIG. 2. Thus, the X-members form no obstacle to the sharp descent of sleeve 6 which, on coming into contact with the upper part of cap 29, drives it oif. Because of the tapered shape of the X-members, there is no possibility of the cap being hooked as it slides from the X-members. At the end of the ejection operation, the various parts of the apparatus are found in the same state as those represented in FIG. 1, the apparatus being ready for a new operation.

According to the invention, the cutting parts 11b are tapered as is represented in FIG. 6 and juxtaposed as FIG. 2 shows so as to play the role of an actual punch able to perforate metal caps and to penetrate into the various kinds of stoppers. The plastic cap 29 has only been chosen by way of example. The operations are identical whatever may be the type of stoppers, caps or tops closing the container which presents itself.

Exceptional cases may arise, however, where bottles of a particular type, possessing a special closing system, are brought up against the apparatus. For example, fancy stoppers may be overlooked on ordinary bottles. In such cases, it may occur that, despite the shape and the resistance of the X-members 11, the closing system of the bottle or of the container prevents any penetration by the X-members.

In such cases, during the ascending movement of the bottle, tube 4 (FIG. 1) actuates the sleeve 6 which releases X-members 11 until point 11b bears on the stopper causing the obstruction. The bottle, continuing to rise, drives X-members :11 upwardly, raising rod 17 and compressing spring 8. The ascent of rod 17 actuates plunger 33 which forms an actuator of any control device. For example, plunger 33 may close an electrical contact. The electric circuit closed by this contact can be of any kind and provides at least one signal used as an alarm or as a signal for the automatic triggering of various operations. Thus, the risk of breakage is avoided and an effective and automatic means of warning of the presence of bottles, the neok's of which remain closed, is provided.

It can further arise that a bottle comes up against the entry tube 4 in an abnormal position, for example, completely inverted. In these conditions, during its ascent, the bottles comes into contact with the entry tube 4 more quickly than when the bottle neck is engaged normally in the tube. The travel of tube 4 is thus increased. In order to detect such conditions and to control automatically the various operations which may be desired, for example automatically stopping the bottle conveyor belt, part 16, the part of which is hidden by the rod 17 on the drawing has been represented in FIG. 8, contains a channel 35 serving as guide and passage for a rod 34. This rod is equipped with a stop 36 regulatable in height so that the lower end 37 of the rod is in contact with part 15 from the moment when the latter rises above the level which is normally assigned to it at the end of travel; when a bottle presents itself in a correct position as is represented in FIG. 4. In these conditions, from the moment when part rises rod 34, which takes place in the event of exceeding the normal travel of entry tube 4, the upper end of the rod brings about the immediate closing of a contact establishing the circuit necessary for the desired controls. It is clear that the closing of the contact can be controlled either directly by rod 34 or by a sensitive intermediary mechanism, which since it can be of any kind has not been represented. In the same Way, the play provided between the parts 15 and 16 in the positions represented in FIG. 4 can be of any kind and regulatable.

One thus obtains an apparatus capable of extracting stoppers, metal caps, plastic tops and other means of sealing bottles or like containers, while avoiding damage of bottles badly presented before the apparatus or damage to bottles possessing particularly imperforable sealing means.

According to the invention, the entry tube 4 is likewise removable to receive bottles or other containers, departing in a marked manner from the usual shapes and dimensions.

The modification represented in FIG. 9 contains, like the apparatus which has just been described: a cylindrical part 41 threaded at 4 2 for the purpose of receiving a stop-nut 43 serving to fix the apparatus on a base 44 applied against a flange 41a.

A spring 45 tends to hold a fiange 46a of part 46 in contact with an inner flange 41b of part 41. The upper part of this part has been slightly simplified with respect to the corresponding part of FIG. 1, while its lower part is constituted by the assembly of a detachable sleeve 47 which can be fixed to the sliding cylinder 46 by any suitable system: screw, pin, etc. In the example represented, part 46 carries grooves 46b facilitating the fixing of sleeve 47 by means of threaded spindles such as 48 introduced into threaded holes in the sleeve. In this way, a simple, effective and convenient means which permits suiting the contact surface of the apparatus to the necks of the bottles or other containers to be unstoppered, as well as to the shape and the brittleness of these containers, is achieved. It is clear that the material of part 47 can be of any kind, but it is preferable that it be softer than the glass of which the bottles are made to avoid scratches.

The role of the cylinder 46 is, as in the embodiment which has just been described, to transmit to an ejector 49- the upward movement of the bottle to be unstoppered, the neck of which pushes back sleeve 47. To this end, spring 50, bearing on an end piece 5 1 screwed into cylindrical support 41, urges ejector 49 downwards, thus keeping flange 49a of ejector 49 in contact with flange 46c of cylinder 46.

During the first part of the ascending movement of ejector 49, the X-members 52 and 53, remaining still, encounter the stopper. If the penetration of the X-members into the stopper cannot be effected due to an unforeseen obstacle, the strong pressure exercised on the point of the X-members is transmitted by an articulated spindle 54 to a support assembly 55 fixed to a shaft 56. Support assembly 55 comprises a spring 57 of which the upper end bears on a bent portion 51a of fixed end piece 51. The rising of shaft 56 across the opening provided in the part 51a actuates, by devices not shown, a control system of any known type effecting, for example, the stopping or automatic return of the bottle to its initial position. Spring 57 then automatically returns the X-member assembly to its original position.

During a normal operation, the X-members remain still, piercing the stopper.

During the depression, ejector 49 encounters and actuates an assembly 58 comprising a spindle 59 and a housing 60 containing a spring 61. Spring 61 is thus gradually compressed, in housings 60 and 62, between assemblies 5-8 and 55. In order to better follow the movement of the displaced parts, one is referred to FIG. 10 which shows the device at the end of the ascending movement of the bottle, the latter not being represented for the clarity of the drawing.

From the moment when ejector 49 actuates assembly 58, spindle 59 carried by assembly 58, is displaced upwards. Each of the arms of X-members 52 and 53 contains an aperture of which only aperture 52a of arm 52 is visible in the drawing. The aperture of arm 53 is symmetrical with aperture 52a with respect to a vertical axis. The crosssection of these apertures is such that under the effect of spindle 59 which passes through them, their lower ends overlap one another as shown in FIG. 9, when the spindle 59 occupies its rest position. These lower ends move apart when the spindle 59 is at the top of the apertures as is the case in FIG. 10. Thus, from the moment when the X- members have penetrated sufficiently into the stopper, the ejector pushes back assembly 58, displacing spindle 59, which has the effect of gradually separating arms 52 and 53.

For greater clarity, the stopper has not been represented in FIG. 10. It is obvious that if the bottle contains no stopper, the operation which has just been described proceeds without alteration.

Cylinder 46 allows for signalling a defective presentation of the bottles as in the first embodiment. However, the apparatus for performing this function have not been shown in the drawings for clarity and since they are similar in detail to that of FIG. 8. Moreover, there has not been represented the device for blocking the ejector 49, by means of a roller for example, keeping this part in the high position bearing on the end of the opening 49b. This is also similar to that of the first embodiment and has been omitted for clarity. The ejection of the stopper which remains hooked onto the X-members (FIG. 10) after the descent of the bottle and expansion of the springs is effected during the release of ejector 49. This release is accompanied by the expansion of springs and 61. Spring 61 has the effect of driving assembly 58 downwardly with the descent of the ejector 49. Spindle 59 therefore returns to its original position shown in FIG. 9, returning, due to the action which it exercises on the edges of the apertures of the X-members, arms 52 and 53 into their closed position shown in FIG. 9. In this condition, the complete descent of the ejector can be freely effected, while the force developed by its sharp descent drives the stopper off the closed X-members. The apparatus is thus returned to its initial position represented in FIG. 9.

Thus is shown a single assembly for automatically opening and closing the X-members comprising apertures provided in each of the arms of X-members 52 and 53 and a spindle which simultaneously assumes the role of the lateral rollers of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-8, the function of which was the control of the opening of the X-members, and that of the part controlling their closing. In addition, the assembly 58, because of its own weight, has a natural tendency to return the spindle 59 to the position represented in FIG. 9, thus ensuring an additional certainty of the proper functioning of the apparatus for ejecting the stopper, since the arms 52 and 53 tend themselves to resume their closed position.

Although there has only been described two embodiments of the present invention, it is clear that numerous additions, omissions or substitutions could be made to the various parts and assemblies constituting the ap paratus without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention which extends to any device within the scope of the attached claims. For example, the apparatus could be mobile and the container fixed, or the apparatus and the container could both be mobile. Moreover, all the springs could be replaced by equivalent means such as compressed air or hydraulic circuits. Further, the locking of the tube 7 could just as well be obtained by an electrical or a pneumatic control. Finally, the actual shape of the blades of the X-mernbers could be specially adapted to a particular type of closure, or the X- members and/or the tube for the introduction of the containers could be interchangeable.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for extracting stoppers, caps, tops and other similar closures from containers comprising:

(a) a cylindrical member secured to a stationary base;

(b) a movable reception component displaceable in said cylindrical member from an initial position by the upper end of the container;

(c) a pair of X-members positioned within the reception component and articulated to penetrate into the stopper and to retain it upon displacement of said reception component by said container;

((1) means for returning the reception component to its initial position and to extract the'stopper from the container upon return movement of the reception component;

(e) an ejector assembly for ejecting the stopper from the X-members after the reception component has been returned to its initial position; and

(f) means to indicate an improper presentation of the container whereby the X-members will be disabled from penetrating the container.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises locking means to hold the ejector assembly in a cocked position from which it is releasable to eject the stopper, and wherein the reception assembly is effective upon being displaced from its initial position to move the ejector assembly to its cocked position.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the X- members retain the stopper by a spreading apart movement after penetrating the stopper; and further comprising an assembly carried by the ejector assembly for spreading the X-members apart upon movement of the ejector assembly to its cocked position.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the X- members each comprise an upper arm and a lower arm arranged so that when the upper arms are spread apart the lower arms are together and when the upper arms are together the lower arms are spread apart; and where in the assembly for spreading the X-members comprises two rollers, the displacements of which :bring about the closing of the upper arms and the opening of the lower arms.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which the assembly for spreading the X-rnembers comprises a spindle fixed on the ejector component and extending into apertures in the X-members, wherein the displacement of said spindle brings about the spreading of the X-members.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the means for returning the reception component to its initial position and for the extraction of the stopper from the container comprises a spring which biases the reception component towards its initial position.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6 in which the reception component includes a lower part for contacting the container and which carries an external flange which forms a seat for the spring, the lower part being of a hardness which is less than that of the container.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising means for releasing the ejector assembly from its cocked position to thereby actuate the ejector assembly to return the X-members to'their closed positions whereby the stopper will be ejected from the closed X-members by the passage of the ejector over the closed X-members.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim -8 in which the means for releasing the ejector assembly comprises a spring bearing onthe ejector component and biasing it away from its cocked position.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim'2 in which the locking means comprises a roller coming to rest in an opening of the ejector assembly.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the X-members are articulated on a spindle fixed to a mobile part held in position by a spring bearing on the one hand on the base of the apparatus, on the other hand on the said part, the resistance ofthe spring being such that the part is displaced with the X-members at the moment when the force exercised on the X-rnembers exceeds a given value.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11 in which the displacement of the part carrying the spindle of the X- members controls the stopping'of the apparatus and the emission of a signal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,123,723 l/l9l5 Freuler 8l--3.49 X

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner N. ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 53-381 

